The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for actively countering forces or threats experienced by an object or person and more particularly, although not exclusively, to systems and methods for actively countering forces or threats experienced by a manned (or unmanned) vehicle upon encountering blast waves of a mine or other explosive device and/or other undesired forces and/or projectiles. The technology may find applicability, for example, in TenCate's ABDS™ active blast countermeasure system, and similar products.
Counteracting the impulse imparted to a vehicle cab by an IED requires transfer of large vertical forces from the countermeasure to the vehicle. Peak forces can be, for example, from 250,000 to over 1,000,000 lbf per location.
Some publications, such as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/909,295 by Dobriski et al., entitled “ACTIVE COUNTERMEASURES SYSTEMS AND METHODS,” provide descriptions of systems and techniques for creating active countermeasures that are deployable on vehicles. However, there is a limited amount of information available on methods for ensuring that the forces created when using such countermeasures can be adequately managed.